Introduction
Medical diagnosis in patient care is a critical health concern due to the significant harm it causes to healthcare. However, the increasing cases of misdiagnosis in the United States have gained global popularity and concern due to the declining rates of quality patient care. Medical misdiagnosis occurs due to failure, delayed and incorrect identification or evaluation of patient signs and symptoms during healthcare. Nonetheless, medical negligence also causes misdiagnosis, which can result in patient complications, increased morbidity, and patient injury during the provision of healthcare. The devastating effect of failed or incorrect diagnosis in health care affects short- and long-term patient care, eventually impacting healthcare costs.
Description of misdiagnosis
Medical misdiagnosis is the most critical healthcare challenge experienced by practitioners worldwide. Misdiagnosis involves an incorrect, delayed, and failed diagnosis of a patient’s illness, which often results in patient injury, reduced health safety, harmful treatment, and financial constraints (Torrey, 2020). Conversely, medical negligence is a significant contributor to misdiagnosis, which often causes severe short and long-term medical complications in patient care. The major causes of medical misdiagnosis include healthcare fragmentation, incompetency, patient overcrowding, and staff burnout. On the other hand, misdiagnosis affects short and long-term patient care by leading to increased patient morbidity, complications, psychological harm, and unnecessary treatment.
Background information
Healthcare providers play a critical role in ensuring that patients acquire quality care based on their needs, preferences, and interests. However, the increasing rates of medical errors and misdiagnosis detrimental to patient care and safety have raised public concern. In the United States, approximately 12 million patients are affected by a misdiagnosis, often caused by a delayed, incorrect, or failed diagnosis during short and long-term care (Krieger & Verhoeven, 2023). Increased patient misdiagnosis rates in America have significantly reduced patient safety and quality care. Nonetheless, medical diagnostic errors in America have caused at least 11% of medical problems and complications that later lead to injury or death (Abelson, 2022). Based on the physical and psychological harm caused by medical misdiagnosis, many patients in the United States have reported that the current healthcare system lacks credibility and reliability.
Previous attempts to address misdiagnosis
Varied strategies have been developed to address the prevalent misdiagnosis rates due to its increasing threat to safety and care. Patient overcrowding, staff burnout, healthcare fragmentation, and incompetency are the critical causes of medical misdiagnosis in short and long-term patient care. Hospital overcrowding limits access to quality medical care due to poor patient admission and discharge plans regularly influenced by misdiagnosis (Sartini et al., 2022). Overcrowding places an overwhelming burden on hospitals, leading to delays in laboratory tests and incorrect diagnosis. Therefore, increasing hospital bed capacity and adequate staff reduces overcrowding, remarkably preventing medical errors and delays associated with a massive number of patients.
Increased staff burnout in hospitals significantly contributes to an incorrect, delayed, and failed diagnosis of a patient’s illness. Conversely, staff burnout affects work coordination during patient admission and discharge due to delays in patient care. Physically and emotionally worn-out medical practitioners are more likely to commit medical errors during diagnosis. However, it is the responsibility of a hospital to develop elaborate work routines that minimize chronic job stress for medical practitioners (Estahbanati et al., 2022). Providing staff members with breaks and recovery time ensures they are not emotionally or physically worn out. Thus, reducing job burnout in health environments limits the occurrence of medical errors or delays, which constantly lead to a misdiagnosis.
Conclusion
Medical misdiagnosis has raised significant concerns in patient care and safety due to the increased occurrence of medical errors and delays in hospitals. In the United States, misdiagnosis is mainly associated with medical negligence, which leads to failure, delays, and incorrect identification of patient ailments. Patient overcrowding, staff burnout, healthcare fragmentation, and incompetency are the key causes of medical misdiagnosis in short and long-term patient care, which frequently leads to an increase in healthcare costs.
References
Abelson, R. (2022, December 15). E.R. doctors misdiagnose patients with unusual symptoms. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/15/health/medical-errors-emergency-rooms.html
Estahbanati, E. A., Gordeev, V. S., & Doshmangir, L. (2022, July 11). Interventions to reduce the incidence of medical error and its financial burden in health care systems: A systematic review of Systematic Reviews. Frontiers. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmed.2022.875426/full
Kreiger, H. M. J., & Verhoeven, A. A. H. (2023, June 12). Full article: Reflection on Medical Errors: A thematic analysis. Taylor and Francis Online. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0142159X.2023.2221809
Sartini, M., Oliva, M., & Demartini, A. (2022, September 22). Overcrowding in Emergency Department: Causes, Consequences, and Solutions—A Narrative Review. National Library of Medicine. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9498666/
Torrey, T. (2020, April 26). How common is misdiagnosis or missed diagnosis? Verywell Health. https://www.verywellhealth.com/how-common-is-misdiagnosis-or-missed-diagnosis-2615481
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